John d



(No Model.)

J. D. HALL.

THERMOMETER TUBE FIL ING APPARATUS. No. 449,443. Patented Mar. 31. 1891.

All! WWW WITNESSES.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN D. HALL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'lO THOMAS C. BALDERSTON, OF SAME PLACE.

THERMOMETER-TUBE-FILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,443, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed December 19, 1890. ficrial No. 375,228. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: hot water in the vessel L and coldwater in Be it known that I, JOHN D. HALL, a citithe vessels I and K. As indicated in the zen of the United States, residing at Philadrawings, these vessels I and K are set and delphia, in the county of Philadelphia and bedded in boxes of sawdust or plaster-of- 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented new paris, the object being to keep the water they and useful Improvements in 'lhermometercontain comparatively cool, while the water 'lube-Filling Machines, of which the follow in the vessel L should be kept up to about ing is a specification. boiling-heat. The object of the cleatsPis to The ordinary methodof displacing the air enable the adjustment of the shelf 0 to a to and filling thermometer-tubes with either alhigher or lower position to suit the various cohol or mercury is to force out the air (a porlengths of tubes to be filled. tion at a time) by heating the bulb and then For heating purposesI use an ordinary gas quickly inverting the tube and inserting the or oil cooking-stove or one or more Bunsen open end into a vessel of alcohol or mercury. gas-burners. For the spirit or mercury con- 15 The object of my invention is to producea t aining vesselslsometimes use a single tank machine orapparatus by the use of which D, provided with several tubular outlets E, thermometer-tubes may be filled with either as shown in Fig. 1; butIpreferseveral. sepaalcohol or mercury with greater rapidity and rate vessels D, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. less cost and WELSli than by methods hereto- These latter vessels I construct of glass tub- 2o fore in practice. ing, the lower ends of which are drawn down Referring to the drawings, which illustrate to a suitable size to receive a piece of vulmy invention, Figure l is a perspective view canized-rubber tubing F, as shown in the' of my complete machine or apparatus. Fig. drawings, and these vessels or bottles are 2 is a sectional view of the water-containing conveniently attached to an inclined bracket- 2 5 vessel and the spirit or mercury containing shelf 0 by means of screws and two leather vessel, including a side view of the therstraps (I, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. mometer-tube and its flexible hose-connee- As will be readily understood, the thert-ions. Fig. is a front view of several demometer-tube that is to be filled is attached tached spirit-containing vessels with their to the liquid-containing vessel D or D by 0 connections, and Fig. at is the side of the means of a piece of vulcanized rubber tubsame. iug F.

This machine or apparatus is cheaply and For convenience in operating, and in order simply constructed and consists, mainly, of a to diminish as much as possible the weight or common low table A, one or more spirit or back-pressure of the spirit or mercury upon 5 mercury holders D or D, two or more waterthe air that is to be forced out of the tube, I containing vessels I L K, and a heating deplace the liquid-containing vessel D at an vice M. inclination of about forty-five degrees, as

In practice I make the table A of common shown in Fig. l. pine or other lumber, abouttwo fecthighand In Fig. 1, M is a metallic safety-screen o 40 about three and a half feet square, and the reaching from the table A to the hot-water other parts of my machine in suitable -pr0- vessel L to prevent any of the spirit reachportion thereto. The shelf O and the upingthe fire in case of leakage from the hoserights B are likewise conveniently made of connections F. common inch boards. The water-containing Of course it will be understood that the 5 vessels I L K, I usually construct of galvanhot water containing vessel must be disized sheet-iron, while the spirit or mercury pensed with when we desire to fill the therholdcr or holders D or D may be made of mometer-tubes with mercury, as the temperasheet-tin, galvanized sheet-iron or glass, porture of the water cannot be raised to a sufficelain, or pottery, and singly or in several cient height to vaporize mercury, which it is too 50 separate parts D, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. necessary to do to force the air from the tube.

When filling the tubes with alcohol, I use In this case I substitute a Bunsen burner or oiher'suitable heating-flame; also, when fill.- ing mercurial tubes the water in the vessels I and K must not be kept cool, but, on the contrar quite hot; otherwise the immersion of the tube-bulbs into it would cause considerable cracking or breaking, or, in fact, the water may also be dispensed with in these vessels and the tube-bulbs allowed to cool down in the air until the vapor of mercury within is condensed; also, when filling tubes with mercury I sometimes substitute metallic jointed tubes in place of the vulcanized rubbers. 7

By the ordinary method of filling tubes with mercury, as before stated, considerable vapor of mercury is thrown out into the air of the room of the operator, thus wasting considerable mercury and causing great injury to the health of the operator, while by the use of my invention these objections are entirely obviated, as the vapor of mercury is all sure to be condensed when it reaches thecomparatively cool body of mercury in the vessel D, and only the uncondensable air escapes from the tube up through said body of mercury into the operators room. It should also be noted that by the use of my invention there can be no waste of spirit through the escape of the vapor up through the body of the spirit in the vessel D or D or by its escape directly from the tube, as is the case by the old method.

I describe the filling of thermometer-tubes with spirit by the use of my invention as follows:

First. Attach several thermometer-tubes to the hose-connections F, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Second. Heat the water in the vessel L to nearly boiling temperature.

Third. Pour a supply of spirit into the vessel or vessels D or D.

Fourth. Immerse the tubes of the several hose into the hot-water vessel by swinging them to the right or left, as required. Then after the lapse of a few seconds immerse them into the cold-water vessels I and K by swinging them to the right or left, as required.

Fifth. Allow the bulbs to remain in the cold water a sufficient time to condense any vapor they may contain and considerably reduce the bulk of their contents by the cooling process.

Sixth. Repeat the operation of shifting the bulbs from the hot to the cold water, and vice versa, until the air is all expelled and the bulbs are completely filled with the spirlt. lVhen this is done, the filled tubes are readily removed and empty ones supplied without wasting the spirit by raising the lower ends of the rubber hose above the level of the spirit in the vessels.

The process of filling tubes with mercury is the same as the above, with the exception that the water-vessels are dispensed wit-hand the heating is done in a flame and thecooling in the air, or possibly in hot water.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a thermometer-tubefilling machine or apparatus, of the hot and cold water containing vessels, the filling-liquid-holding vessel or vessels, the heating device, and the connecting-pipes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a thermometer-tubefilling machine or apparatus, of the hot and cold water containing vessels, the filling-liquid-holding vessels, and the flexible tube-connections.

The combination, in a thermometer-tubefilling machine or apparatus, of the hot and cold water containingvessels and the flexible tube-connections with the filling-liquid-holding vessel or vessels provided with suitable hose-conn ecting nozzles E.

4:. The combination, in a thermometer-tubefilling machine or apparatus, thehot and cold water containing vessels and the filling-liquid-holding vessel .or vessels provided with the flexible tube-connections, and the shelfadjusting standards B.

5. The combination, in a thermometer-tubefilling machine or apparatus, of the shelf-adjusting standards, the hot and cold water containing vessels, the filling-liquid-holding vessel or vessels, the heating device, and the safety-screen M, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony Whereof- I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN D. HALL.

Witnesses:

MORRIS R. BooKIUs, DANIEL E. BROGAN. 

